Police arrest two girls, 13 and 14, after Orthodox Jewish woman, 20, assaulted and had her handbag stolen in Haringey amid fears she was ‘targeted for her appearance’
Police have arrested two teenage girls after a Jewish woman was attacked and her purse was stolen.
Two girls approached a 20-year-old woman in Haringey about 4.30am on Thursday.
She was reportedly left with bruises but did not have to go to the hospital.
Video of the incident went viral online after it was posted on Twitter by the Shomrim neighborhood watch group.
The video shows the victim walking down a path accompanied by two women before one of them appears to hit her twice in the head.
She then crosses the road before two women grab her and stab her several times.
Then one of the women dragged the victim onto the asphalt, after which she was pinned down and hit several times. The couple then appears to take her things.
The two women then walk away down the street and a group of people stop and check on the victim, who is still on the floor.
CCTV images were captured near the scene which suggested they were wearing school uniforms and detectives worked with school staff, including from neighboring areas, as well as school staff to confirm the girls’ identities.
Around midday on Saturday, December 9, officers went to an address in Haringey where they arrested two girls, aged 13 and 14, on suspicion of robbery. They remain in custody.
Detective Sergeant Asley Benson, who led the investigation, said: “This was a horrific incident for the young woman who was attacked. We will continue to provide her with the right support.
“Officers have pursued every possible avenue of investigation since the incident and these arrests are a very positive development.
“The victim belongs to the Orthodox Jewish community. It would have been obvious from her appearance that she was Jewish, and there were serious concerns that she was being targeted for this reason.
“In the current climate, with increasing fears and uncertainty within the wider Jewish community following the terrorist attacks in Israel and the subsequent rise in anti-Semitic hate crimes here in London, these concerns are understandable.
“While we remain open-minded about the motive behind the incident and will continue to explore all possibilities, we are treating this as a possible hate crime.”
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is asked to call 101 quoting CAD 5505/07Dec.
Information can also be passed on to the independent charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111.